


after him

by kurtsiehummel



Series: after him [1]
Category: Glee
Genre: Angst, Future Fic, Kid Fic, M/M, Minor Blaine Anderson/Kurt Hummel, Romance, Slow Build
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-16
Updated: 2020-07-16
Packaged: 2021-03-05 00:07:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,001
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25305001
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kurtsiehummel/pseuds/kurtsiehummel
Summary: it’s been three years since kurt’s last seen sebastian, and a lifetime since their story began.or, the story of two boys as told through the seasons.
Relationships: Kurt Hummel/Sebastian Smythe
Series: after him [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1835701
Comments: 26
Kudos: 34





	after him

New York isn’t the paradise he’d imagined.

It’s gritty pavements, sharp elbows on busy intersections, and fogged up glasses. It’s never feeling warm enough no matter how many parkas he’s piled on.

He doesn’t know if it’s he who’s changed, or if the city was never what he shaped it up to be.

-

It’s cold when he sees him. 

He knows it’s a cliche, but time really does stand still - or it feels like it does. Sebastian’s standing in a corner of the cafe, next to some strange-looking succulent, and is that really what he’s focusing on right now? Kurt blinks, orders his usual without stuttering, feels irrationally proud of that feat, then oh  _ shit _ , Seb’s making his way over. And  _ shit _ , he looks as good as ever, how is that  _ fair - _

“Kurt?”

Oh  _ fuck. _

“Kurt? You okay?”

Kurt shifts his gaze away from somewhere in the middle distance and for the first time in three years, makes eye contact with Sebastian Smythe. Those stupidly beautiful green eyes are full of worry and confusion, and oh crap he was meant to answer ages ago.

So he does the first thing he can think of - he runs out the door, out to the snow-covered streets.

-

_ spring _

Kurt and Sebastian, before they were  _ Kurt-and-Sebastian  _ and long before they split back into Kurt and Sebastian, met in the spring.

Kurt’s perched in a corner of the park, plucking daisies from the dirt. His chubby cheeks are flushed and his eyes are focused as he weaves a crown from the smudged petals.

A shower of dirt falls on his hands. 

“Sorry!” Kurt looks up, blinking in confusion. A boy has stopped mid-run, his piercing green eyes furrowed with worry and his scuffed sneakers fidgeting on the ground. “I’m sorry for ruining your daisy chain! It looked really good.”

Kurt blinks again. Nobody’s ever said sorry, or complimented him. Nobody’s ever tried to talk to the weird kid - the kid who doesn’t want to play ball, the kid who picks flowers and draws shapes in the sand instead.

He doesn’t say any of this. He just murmurs, “You didn’t ruin it.”

“Can I at least help you fix it?” the boy insists, kneeling on the dirt now and holding his hand out, palm up.

Kurt places the chain on his palm and watches as the boy meticulously dusts the dirt off. 

“My name’s Kurt,” he says.

The boy looks up, smiling brilliantly. “Sebastian,” he replies, offering a dirt-streaked hand.

Kurt takes it, and it feels like a beginning.

-

_ summer _

In the summer of junior year, Kurt meets Blaine. Kurt usually hates theme parks (screaming children, germs on every available surface, greasy food!) but it’s a clear, breezy day and even he has a smile on his face. He’s loitering near the Six Flags stage, licking cotton candy off his fingers, when he hears the opening strains of “Teenage Dream”.

Blaine steps out, and he’s everything a young romantic could have dreamed of: dapper, beautiful, and insanely talented to boot.

-

Kurt’s waxing lyrical for the twentieth time about his future husband when he notices Sebastian hasn’t been responding in a manner appropriate for a guy whose best friend has found love. In fact, he seems rather… unenthusiastic.

Kurt’s nothing if not conscientious, so he decides to include Sebastian in the conversation.

“What about you, Seb? Got your eye on anyone?”

Sebastian startles. He clears his throat, says, “No? Why would you think that?” 

Kurt raises an eyebrow at Sebastian’s odd tone, but remembers another exciting tidbit about his latest coffee date. “Blaine knows my coffee order,” he gushes.

Sebastian leaves Kurt’s place early, citing an upset stomach.

-

It’s a sweltering summer day when everything falls apart. Kurt waltzes into the common room, glad to escape the humidity that will frizz his hair, product or no. He’s carrying Blaine’s usual medium drip when he finds him sucking face with a stranger.

Kurt briefly recognises him as a senior -  _ “Kurt, this is my boyfriend” - _ before he runs out.

-

The front of Sebastian’s polo shirt is dampening as Kurt’s sobs wrack his body. His hair is losing its perfect coif, his face is streaking with tears, and his clothes are rumpling, but Sebastian’s there and firm and warm and  _ safe _ , and that’s all that matters right now.

“I made it all up in my head,” he sniffs, though his throat is so clogged up with tears that he’s sure his words are indistinguishable.

Then Sebastian’s lips are on his, and he realises two things:

One, Sebastian is a really good kisser _. _

And two, his heart doesn’t feel so broken anymore.

-

_ autumn _

It’s autumn of his senior year when it ends. 

“I’m not going to New York for college.”

They’re standing in the park, russet leaves littering the ground around them, and Sebastian’s fiddling with the scarf around his neck. 

Kurt blinks. Clears his throat. “Come again?”

“I’m not going. Dad wants me to go to his alma mater.”

Kurt blinks rapidly. “What happened to our plans?”

Sebastian sighs. “New York was your dream, not mine.”

“And Harvard? That’s not your dream. It’s your father’s.”

Sebastian’s fists clench. “Who are you to tell me what my dreams are?”

“I know you, Sebastian -”

“You don’t know anything if you’re questioning what I want! Where’s your support?”

“I’m not supporting you because you’re making the wrong choice!”

They’re both breathing heavily. In the back of his mind, Kurt’s wondering how this went so wrong, but he can’t go back now.

Sebastian grits his teeth. “So this is how it’s going to be, huh?”

Kurt tilts his chin up and stares him down. “Have a nice life, Sebastian.”

When Sebastian turns to leave, Kurt knows what’s meant to happen next. Run after him, admit that he’s wrong, and they’ll embrace and dance away into the sunset. But life isn’t a movie, and Kurt has never not been stubborn, and Sebastian leaves.

-

_ winter _

Standing on those snow-covered streets, Kurt shakes his head, trying to forget.

**Author's Note:**

> this is my first ever fic ever. kudos and comments much appreciated! especially comments - as short as you can manage or as long as you desire :)


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